Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Special Needs Couple Requests Permission to Wed at the Knesset

A Knesset worker and his fiancee, both with special needs, have petitioned Speaker Yuli Edelstein for permission to be married there.

Nadav Halperin and Hodaya Lowenstein made their request to help promote tolerance for people with special needs, Israel’s Channel 2 reported Thursday.

The couple met under the auspices of the Alei Siach organization, which provides programs for people with special needs, including assisted living, occupational therapy and college.

Chaim Frankel, director of the organization, sent the letter to Edelstein on behalf of the couple, according to Channel 2.

“Allowing a wedding for people with special needs to take place at the Knesset, the heart of Israeli democracy and consensus, would benefit our work to create a more inclusive society for people with special needs in Israeli society,” Frankel wrote. “Your permission would provide an official seal of approval for the hopes of so many people to be included in society. It also would put Israel at the forefront of tolerant countries that are working towards acceptance of ‘the other.’”

Edelstein reportedly is considering the request.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.